Ozzie Newsome had just the right physique for his coach, Sam Rutigliano, and became a difference-maker as a tight end in the NFL.AP file

Ben Watson’s top five TEs

Browns tight end Ben Watson is in his ninth NFL season, having played in two Super Bowls for New England. Here is his list of top five NFL tight ends — in no particular order — since 1978 when Ozzie Newsome entered the league:

Tony Gonzalez, 1997-present: One of the all-time leading receivers, very athletic player.

Kellen Winslow, 1979-87: Before my time but I always remember the picture of him being carried off the field after an all-out effort.

Ozzie Newsome, 1978-90: Lots of players look up to him for what he’s accomplished.

Randy McMichael, 2002-present: Played with him at Georgia, he taught me a lot about playing the position.

Pat Shurmur’s top five TEs

Browns coach Pat Shurmur is a former tight ends coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Here is his list of top five NFL tight ends — in no particular order — since 1978 when Ozzie Newsome entered the league:

Antonio Gates, 2003-present: Another converted basketball player like Gonzalez with similar skills.

Brent Jones, 1987-97: Very good route runner with excellent hands.

BEREA, Ohio -- Among the memorable theories of NFL evolution comes this pearl from former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano: If Ozzie Newsome had a tight end, he might not have played one in Cleveland.

In 1978, Rutligliano sent assistant Rich Kotite on an unusual scouting trip to Alabama. As part of his fact-finding mission, Kotite was to pay special attention to the hind quarters of Newsome, a Crimson Tide receiver playing in a wishbone offense.

"I wanted to know if Ozzie had a big butt," Rutigliano said. "Because if he did I knew his (6-2) frame would be able to carry about 235 pounds and we could move him to tight end. ... Rich came back with the shortest scouting report in history -- 'yes, he's got a big butt.'"

With those words a new era for tight ends was about to launch.

The Browns selected Newsome with the 23rd pick in 1978 and a year later San Diego coach Don Coryell -- not concerned with the broadness of Kellen Winslow's backside -- took him 13th. The Browns and Chargers, who meet Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium, helped transform tight ends into the offensive weapons they are today.

In the past four decades, few positions have witnessed greater evolution. Once considered blockers who caught the occasional pass, tight ends have become playmakers capable of running 25-yard seam routes. Newsome and Winslow gave way to Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzalez, who helped spawn Dallas Clark and Aaron Hernandez.

You never know where you might find a tight end these days: in a backfield, split out wide -- or in the case of San Diego's Antonio Gates and Cleveland's Jordan Cameron on a basketball court. A season ago, six tight ends finished among the league's top 17 in receptions led by New Orleans' Jimmy Graham (99 catches) and New England's Rob Gronkowski (90). That's a long way from the days when Hall-of-Famers John Mackey and Charlie Sanders made between 40 and 55 catches in the 1960s and 1970s.

"I think there's more of an emphasis put on the tight end position," Browns coach Pat Shumur said. "You see a lot more, and we do it quite a bit, where you have one [running] back, two tight ends, two receiver sets ...

"Those guys, because of their size and their athletic ability, they can provide mismatches on the inside of the defenses."

That's exactly what Rutigliano was seeking to create in 1978 while trying to unlock the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense. He had a good quarterback in Brian Sipe and a couple nice receivers in Dave Logan and Reggie Rucker, who moved to the slot. Enter Newsome, a former split end who would draw coverage from either a linebacker or safety. A year before his arrival, two Browns tight ends combined for 34 catches and 349 yards. In his second season, Newsome caught 55 balls for 781 yards.

The same sea change was occurring in San Diego, where Winslow joined an "Air Coryell" attack that featured quarterback Dan Fouts and receivers Chalie Joiner and John Jefferson. In his second season, Winslow set NFL records for tight ends with 89 receptions and 1,290 yards. These innovative offenses supplied the blue print for others franchises and sparked a search for a different kind of player, one that led scouts beyond the football field.

A decade ago, Gates was a 6-4 power forward on the Kent State basketball team that reached the Elite Eight. Instead of trying to become the next Charles Barkley, he followed the lead of Gonzalez and switched to football.

Eight Pro Bowls later, the undrafted free agent epitomizes the versatility and creativity of the modern position.

"What can you say about this guy?" said Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron, who must contain Gates on Sunday. "He's one of the premier, if not the (premier), pass-catching tight end in the business, and probably as good as the best of them have ever been. It's a very, very hard to matchup with him. With the big body on the safety and the athletic ability, he can be covered and still be open."

Cameron played basketball at Brigham Young before transferring schools, swapping sports and playing football at USC. The Browns second-year pass catcher said there's a natural connection between power forward and tight end.

"Guys know how to bend their bodies and fight for position in tight spaces," said the 6-5 Cameron, who has 11 catches this season for 128 yards.

The Browns only hope Cameron -- who Shurmur considers one of the team's most improved players -- can develop along the lines of Gates or Graham, a former University of Miami basketball player who gave football a shot at the urging of former Browns quarterback and Hurricanes star Bernie Kosar.

"I've always felt that there's a lot of tight ends playing in the NBA, just the body type and the athletic ability," Shurmur said. "There are a lot of those type guys. It's intriguing to us when we're scouting players, especially if they're a tight end and if they've got a basketball background."

Chargers coach Norv Turner said there hasn't been this kind of emphasis on tight ends since Newsome and Winslow were revolutionizing the position. Nowhere is that more apparent than in New England. A season ago, the massive Gronkowski and versatile Hernandez combined to catch 169 passes and 24 touchdowns. Putting that in perspective the entire Browns' offense accounted for 20 TDs last year.

The 6-5, 260-pound Gronkowski, who can throw crushing blocks and killer parties, shattered two receiving marks for tight ends in 2011. His 1,327 yards broke Winslow's 31-year record. His 17 TDs eclipsed Gates' record of 13 established in 2004.

"People are using the tight ends the way teams did in the 80s," Turner said. "There are more guys who can get up the field, receiver-type tight ends and [teams] are basing their running games on a guy who might not be as good a blocker [but] who can stretch the field and make big plays."

It's forcing defenses to react. The Browns often use linebacker Craig Robertson (6-1, 227 pounds) in nickel coverage because of his quickness. He's slightly undersized as a linebacker, but he can keep pace with tight ends. The rookie has two interceptions in seven games.

"We are always countering the moves made by the offense," safety T.J. Ward said. "When you have big tight ends who can makes plays you have to adjust."

Fourteen years before Sir Mix-A-Lot celebrated it in song, a big butt started the entire evolution.